Fire Dragon's hidden art
by STARSONGPAPA
Summary: After the war with Alvarez the requests that guilds receive are at an all time low, so what do the Wizards do? They get on with their lives. All except Natsu's who is having a hard time letting go. Ignores the events of the 100 year quest.


**AN: Hey people I had this little Nalu fic idea bouncing around my brain for a while so I hope you all enjoy**.

 **The idea for this fic came up when I thought to myself 'What happens after a series ends? If you destroy the evil what else is there to do?'.**

 **BTW, this ignores the Fairy Tail 100 year quest sequel manga.**

 **Once again Enjoy.**

Fairy Tail guild hall.

It was a slow day in Fairy Tail, with the war with Zeref won and the root of all evil vanquished dark guilds have all but vanished from the face of Fiore, this would have been seen as a blessing but for the wizards of Fairy Tail it was absolute hell, with no dark guilds to fight the amount of jobs have significantly diminished.

One particular group that was effected by this was Fairy Tail's strongest team 'Team Natsu'. They thrived on the euthoric feeling that came with bringing a dark guild to justice but with the fall of Zeref and the domino effect that followed that feeling was now a distant memory, however that did not mean that they had nothing to do, Erza now worked part time in a bakery with hopes of one day opening her own.

Lucy had become a published author and with the success of her first book is in the process of writing her second novel.

Gray started to date Juvia and things were going well between them, actually they both began to entertain at children's parties after a job request asked for them specifically, in fact they enjoyed it so much they decided to make a career out of it.

Wendy along with Chielia as the Sky Sisters had a successful music career and was popular with the preteen-teenage demographic.

Yes thing's were going well for good ol' Team Natsu except for the team's name sake and founder Natsu Dragneel. He had nothing going on, he tried to get some small time jobs but nothing worked for him, he got so bored he ended up quitting by the weeks end, his team constantly got on his case about trying to keep a job but Natsu just waved it off and then took off to his new venture.

But the wise man who once said 'Good things come to those who wait' has obviously never met Natsu Dragneel on a slow day as he sat at his team's usual table repeatedly hitting his head on said table and annoying his team on their day off.

"I'M SOOO BORED!" Natsu complained loudly, "Zeref, please, if you really love your little brother you'd ressurrect yourself and bring back some dark guilds to destroy".

Lucy sighed, Gray gritted his teeth, Wendy giggled and Erza, she slammed her fists on the table top with a furious look on her face, "YES YOU'RE BORED NATSU, WE GET IT!".

Natsu who didn't even flinch looked at Erza with a blank stare before he went back to cursing his older brother, this went on for another half and hour before Lucy finally lost her temper, "That's it mister I've had enough! You are going to go out and do something productive, get a job, find a hobby! I don't care, just stop complaining!" Lucy shouted at Natsu.

"Alright, alright, geez Luce when did you become my mum?" Natsu asked as he slowly got up.

"Don't get smart with me!" Lucy yelled once more.

"U-huh, definitely being a mum, right Happy" Natsu laughed jovially.

"Aye sir" Happy chirped cheerily.

Lucy growled om frustration and lunged for the salmon haired dragon slayer but with a laugh he dashed out of the guild leaving it in relative silence.

Magnolia High Street.

A short time later Natsu and Happy found themselves wondering around Magnolia's high street browsing the stores and job searching, unfortunately his reputation for destruction and quitting a job after a week preceded him so he was quickly turned away so now a depressed Natsu wondered around aimlessly until Happy grabbed his attention, "Hey Natsu isn't that Reedus over there?".

Natsu looked down the street and saw the artistic wizard doing his job/hobby, painting, Natsu with nothing better to do decided to talk to Reedus.

"Hey Reedus, how's it going?" Natsu asked.

"Oh good afternoon Natsu, it's going well, people seem to love my work these days" Reedus replied happily.

Natsu Laughed lightly at the elation hidden with in the artist's voice "I'm not suprised you're a kick ass artist" Natsu complimented.

"Thank you Natsu... And done, there you go" Reedus said offering the painting to a young couple.

"No, thank you, how much will it be?" Asked a young man.

"It was my pleasure, your happiness is my payment" Reedus replied.

The happy couple bowed to Reedus who bowed in return, Reedus turned to look back at Natsu and noticed a look of confusion on his face "What's wrong?" He asked.

"You didn't charge them" Natsu simply replied.

Reedus smiled lightly as he went to pack up his art supplies "Natsu, walk with me I think we need to talk".

A few minutes later Natsu and Reedus began to walk down the high street, destination unknown.

"Natsu tell me, why do you quit the jobs you get so quickly?" Reedus asked.

Natsu just kept looking forward, his eyebrows knitted together as he did something he rarely did, he thought and he thought hard, "I guess that the jobs didn't intrest me" Natsu explained breifly.

"Go on" Reedus gently pushed.

"They weren't as challenging as I am used too, being a wizard is all I know and since we won the war being a wizard isn't as stable as it used to be... Everyone is moving on with their lives almost like they're finding their true calling but me... I just can't, I feel as if I'm falling behind, the only one who has nothing" Natsu concluded.

Reedus thought for a second before an idea burst into his head, "Let me show you something".

Natsu and Reedus walked in silence for five more minutes before they stopped outside an art supply store, "Why are we here?" Natsu asked.

"I've been around the block a few times Natsu and when you do that you learn a few things, I've noticed how much detail you can take in when you're focused enough" Reedus replied.

"Huh?" Was Natsu's simple reply.

Reedus smiled and patted Natsu on his shoulder "Tell me how much alcohol does Mira serve on any day?"

Without any hesitation Natsu replied "645 tankards a day, 700 if Cana has a heavy drinking day".

"How many steps are between the ground and first floor of the guild?" Reedus asked another seemingly random question.

"18 steps, a small landing and another two, so 20" Natsu answered quickly, "What is with those weird questions?".

Reedus reached for the store door and opened it "You see Natsu I believe that you have a unique eye for detail... I remember during the Grand magic games you said to Sting and Rogue that you got everything down, their movements, their breathing and the timing of their attacks, you take in the smallest details when you're under pressure and you learn, Natsu I belive that you have the heart of an artist" Reedus explained with a mixture of seriousness and sencerety.

Natsu didn't know how to react to the older Wizards words but a part of him felt like the words rang true, he had learned a lot in the countless battles he had been in, he had gained clarity with stuff he didn't understand before while in battle, maybe just maybe this could be what he was looking for.

Natsu silently walked into the store and looked around while Reedus watched with a look of pride on his face, he could feel it, he was about to change a life and that filled him with happiness.

While Natsu looked around the store a man entered through a door behind the till, "Ah Reedus my friend, what brings you here today? This isn't your usual resupply day".

Reedus greeted the man with a handshake "I'm helping a guild mate and friend of mine find his calling, I think you may have a new best customer soon" Reesus replied with a laugh.

"We'll see old friend" The store manager said watching Natsu look around his shop with a curious eye, "I just hope he doesn't blow up my store".

"Let's hope not, the closest art supply store in in Oak town" Reedus commented.

Natsu walked around for a further five minutes before he walked up to Reedus, "Are you sure that I can be an artist?" Natsu asked nervously.

"I do".

Natsu smiled and once again walked around the store picking up paints, paint brushes, pencils, sketch books and an easil, "If you believe in me Reedus then I'll give this a shot, I'll make you proud".

Reedus smiled as Natsu payed for the supplies with as much enthusiasm as he was known for, after they left the shop Natsu shook Reedus' hand and they parted ways, Natsu began his walk home with a renewed vigor and outlook on life.

One month later.

It had been one month since Natsu had been in the guild and it had been peaceful, almost unbearably so, without the resident fire dragon slayer causing a commotion of some kind it had gotten boring and now ironically Lucy who had yelled at Natsu for complaining about being bored is complaining about being bored, "Where the hell is Natsu! I'd give my left leg for him to come here and punch Gray in the face".

"Hey! That's not funny, besides I'd kick his lazy ass" Gray shouted.

"I don't care who kicks who's ass Gray, I'm bored" Lucy complained.

"Juvia thinks that love rival needs a hobby" Juvia deadpanned.

Lucy sighed and face planted the table "I told you Juvia I'm not a love rival... Ugh where the hell is Natsu?"

In all honesty the guild was at their witts end, they didn't know what was worse, Natsu not being around making noise or Lucy being around complaining about the lack of Natsu, the guild shared a simultaneous sigh just as the guild doors opened.

Lucy looked up in anticipation hoping to see Natsu but it was Reedus, with a heavy sigh of disappointment Lucy once again face planted the table.

"What's with the grim atmosphere?" Reedus asked.

"Natsu isn't here, he's been gone for a whole month" Lucy's muffled voice echoed throughout the guild hall, "Come to think of it you've been gone for a month too, do you know where Natsu is?".

Reedus looked at Lucy with a kind smile and patted her shoulder comfortingly "He'll turn up, don't you worry", Reedus said before going to his drawing corner.

a further hour passed before the guild doors flew open with a bang, everyone looked up to see Natsu enter with a huge grin plastered on his face "Hey everyone I'm back!" Natsu announced loudly.

Within a second Lucy flew across the guild hall and talked Natsu to the floor giving him a bone crushing hug "Natsu you idiot, where have you been?" Lucy asked frantically.

Natsu looked extremely nervous but still gave Lucy his winning smile "I've been doing what you suggested and doomg something productive" Natsu replied.

"I didn't mean for you to disappear for a month without a word! didn't you realise how much I missed you?" Lucy cried into his chest.

Natsu bought his hands around Lucy's back and gave her a tight hug "I'm sorry Lucy, I didn't mean to upset you" Natsu whispered gently.

"Just don't disappear on me again okay".

"Sure, uhh can we get up now Lucy? The others are staring at us" Natsu asked with a small blush dusting his cheeks.

Lucy eep'd and quickly got off Natsu and stood up, Natsu quickly followed but as soon as he did the bag on his back split open and the contents fell onto the floor.

Everyone looked over in shock at the stuff that fell from Natsu's bag, paints, pencils and paint brushes littered the floor but that wasn't all a sketch pad laid open on the floor with it's contents on full view.

It was a pencil drawing of Gray and Juvia holding hands with their respective magics flowing around eachother as if they're doing a unison raid, the guild, Gray and Juvia especially was shocked about how well it was drawn, it wasn't Reedus level but a very close second. Everyone looked at Natsu who just turned away blushing like a tomato.

"Did Natsu draw this?" Juvia asked

Natsu nodded before picking up the sketch pad and handed it to Juvia, he was too embarrassed to show the guild himself so he let them look for themselves.

Juvia turned to the first page with everyone behind her looking at Natsu's work, the first page had a water color picture of a red dragon many recognised at Natsu's dad Igneel, the second page was another pencil drawing of the Strauss siblings, the third page was the picture of Gray and Juvia, the fourth page was a picture of Bisca, Alzack and Asuka, the fifth page was a picture of Cana drinking from a barrel and so the pages kept turning and everyone stood in awe at the sketch book, taking each drawing or painting until they reached the final page.

The final page had a water color picture of Lucy on a background of stars and zodiac key symbols, it was incredibly detailed, more so than the others, each line was perfect, each brush stroke was not wasted, it was like looking into a photo lacrama image, it was so life like.

Lucy turned to Natsu with tears threatening to fall "Natsu, that picture is beautiful" Lucy commented happily.

Natsu blushed as he scratched his head "Maybe but It just doesn't do the real Lucy justice" Natsu said quietly but still every guild member heard him.

"Natsu" Lucy said happy tears flowing from her eyes.

"You are the most beautiful person I've ever met Lucy and you mean so much to me, I could paint you a million times and you'd still be more beautiful. No amount of paint can accurately portray the look you have in your captivating eyes, no amount of shading could show off your shiny blonde hair but most of all no matter how hard I try I'll never be able to paint your personality, the personality that I've fallen in love with time and time again" Natsu said passionately.

Lucy cried happy tears as she crashed her lips into Natsu's not caring if anyone saw her, she had waited for this moment but never in her most romantic dreams was she expecting this, "Natsu, I love you too, more than words could ever say" Lucy confessed tearfully.

Two years later

It was a slow day in Fairy Tail, with the war with Zeref won and the root of all evil vanquished dark guilds have all but vanished from the face of Fiore, this would have been seen as a curse but for the wizards of Fairy Tail it was absolute bliss, with no dark guilds to fight the amount of jobs have significantly diminished but they didn't mind.

One particular group that showed this was Fairy Tail's strongest team 'Team Natsu'. They thrived in their new lives and the domino effect that once was, was now a distant memory, They had gotten on with their lives and lived it to the fullest, Erza now co owned a bakery with her husbsnd Jellal who was pardoned by the new queen of Fiore Hisui. They were expecting twins soon.

Gray and Juvia are married and things are still going well between them, they both continue to entertain at children's parties, in fact they now have their own son whom they named Silver after Gray's dad.

Wendy along with Chielia are on tour around Ishgar as the Sky Sisters and are as popular as ever, Wendy is dating Romeo and Chiela is dating Lyon.

Yes thing's are going well for good ol' Team Natsu especially for the team's founders Natsu Dragneel and his wife Lucy Dragneel. Natsu was a successful artist while Lucy was a best selling author, Natsu and Lucy often collaberated their works and published a book titled 'The rise of Fairy Tail', illustrated by Natsu and written by Lucy, it was the biography and history of Fairy Tail from it's humble beginnings to the present day. Natsu and Lucy also had a daughter that they named Nashi who inherited her father's dragon slaying magic.

We currently find Natsu sitting in his favourite corner of the guild painting the scene infront of him, a guild brawl started by Gray and Gajeel, with a smile Natsu looked to the upper left corner of his easil at a picture of the recently deceased Reedus, with a small tears escaping his eyes Natsu smiled at the picture "Thank you for everything".

The wise man who once said 'Good things come to those who wait' has obviously never met Natsu Dragneel because if he did he would have realised that he was wrong and would have amended the saying to 'Good things come to those who have good friends and family'.

 **END.**


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